Khaberni - The Italian authorities said on Friday that they had arrested 34 "tomb raiders" suspected of involvement in pillaging treasures from archaeological sites.
Looting of artistic and archaeological heritage in Italy has been a problem for centuries, but the special unit for combating art crimes in the national gendarmerie (Carabinieri) has achieved some success in recent years in recovering stolen artifacts.
In Sicily, 9 individuals have been placed in pre-trial detention and 14 under house arrest on charges including criminal conspiracy, theft of cultural assets, trafficking in stolen goods, and forgery, according to the police and public prosecutor.
The public prosecutor's office in Catania stated in a release that officers seized around 10,000 artifacts, including 7,000 coins from city-states of ancient Greece that existed in Sicily in ancient times.
The police also confiscated hundreds of pottery vases and clay items, bronze rings, pins, and arrowheads. The public prosecution estimated the total value of the retrieved items at 17 million euros ($20 million).
The authorities also discovered a secret lab in the Catania area in eastern Sicily, where counterfeit coins and pottery and bronze artifacts were fabricated. Some stolen coins, smuggled from Germany for resale, were also seized.
In Calabria, two individuals were placed in pre-trial detention and nine under house arrest on similar charges. The public prosecution in the town of Catanzaro said that the suspects operated "with the tacit approval" of the local 'Ndrangheta mafia.
The public prosecutor added that the suspects kept their telephone communications to a minimum for fear of being wiretapped and used agricultural activity terms as codes in their conversations to hide their illegal activities.
Sicily is home to many ancient Roman and Greek archaeological sites, including the stunning Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Calabria also possesses a rich historical heritage.
